A day has passed and Aether and Paimon still hasn't seen the ditz they picked up from the island.
"Paimon is worried!" his floating tour guide shrieks as she flew in frantic circles. "What if she's lost or worse, dead!"
"Calm down, Paimon." Aether, with all the patience of a saint, mumbled as he rubbed his ears where Paimon shrieked. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
"you're right, you're right." The frazzled tour guide wringed her hands together. "she's been living on that island for who knows how long, she probably has some survival skills, right?"
Aether nodded at his companion, unsure as he remembered the small fish flopping around in her bucket when they first found here in the shallows.
"nnngghh! Let's ask around to be sure!" Paimon suggested, earning a nod from the Otherwolder.
"A what?" Swan, the Knight stationed at the main entrance blinked at them in confusion.
"a ditzy girl! Did a ditzy-looking girl entered the city?" the tour guide pressed further, curious if the girl entered the city.
"a tourist entered some days ago," Lawrence, the other Knight stationed at the main entrance butts in. "she looked kinda ditzy but nice. She smiled and answered our standard questions."
"That might be her!" Paimon smiles, happy. "Is her name Lili?"
"I think?" Lawrence and Swan scratched their heads in confusion. "We don't really remember her name, but you can ask around inside."
"Maybe Huffman saw her." Swan suggested as he saw the Knight walking by as he patrolled the market area.
"Thank you, you two!" Paimon waves as she floated towards Huffman as Aether gave a more subdued but just as heartfelt thank you to the two Knights before following Paimon.
"Huffman!" the little tour guide flags down the Knight who greeted them with a smile.
"Ah! Honorary Knight and Paimon! How can I help you?"
"we're looking for someone! She's a bit ditzy, real friendly and her name is Lili! Have you seen her?" the floating tour guide queried, Huffman rubbing his chin, deep in thought.
"I think I saw her?" He then scratched his head. "She was with that bard friend of yours, both of them heading for Master Diluc's tavern yesterday."
With a gasp and a grateful 'thank you', the Outlander and his tour guide headed for the tavern.
"Hopefully, tone-deaf bard didn't get her drunk." Paimon grumbled as they reached the outside of the tavern.
"Have some faith in Venti." Aether softly says as he pushed the door open, revealing Master Diluc behind the bar, no bard in green in sight.
"Honorary Knight," the establishment's owner greets them with a nod. "I hope you're not here for a drink."
"No no, I'm not." Aether smiled awkwardly at the redhead who merely huffed and went back to cleaning glass.
"we're here to ask you something!" Paimon chimes in as she floated towards Diluc. "Have you seen our friend? Huffman said that she was with tone-deaf bard yesterday."
As if remembering a pain in the ass, Diluc's frown deepened. "Yeah," he huffed, annoyed. "She was here yesterday and instigated a rowdy drinking contest with the regulars which got them kicked out."
"Is she still with Venti?" Aether asked with a tilt of his head, to which Diluc shook his head.
"She left the bard slumped on the bar."
"Ah." There was silence as Paimon and Aether tried to imagine how Lili instigated a drinking game so wild, Diluc had to kick them out. "Thank you for your time, Master Diluc. We'll be going now."
"Honorary Knight," the redhead calls out as Aether's hand was on the door. "Keep that friend of yours in check."
The Outlander blinked, visibly confused but nodded nonetheless.
"Will do."
Aether and his little floating tour guide then left the tavern to continue searching for Lili.
-0-
Astrologist Mona Megistus, The Enigmatic Astrologer from Fontaine, can't seem to forget about the ditzy girl they ferried back to mainland. Although her words were a bit outlandish, she was truly fascinated.
"Must be because of her age."
She mumbles to herself as she performed Hydromancy, searching the stars for an answer as she sat in a small park in Mondstadt. While she's fully aware that Lili is older than she appears, Mona can still sense the ditz's off-ness.
"Two minds in one body?"
Mona continued to look for answers until her stomach growled, making her heave a sigh as she remembered newly bought astrology paraphernalia that emptied her wallet, a glaring reminder that she'll have to eat air and water for tonight's dinner. Again.
"haah..."
"Why the long face, Miss Astrologist?" a familiar voice asked from behind the hedge where Lili's head popped out, leaves still stuck on her hair.
"I am merely contemplating the future." Was Mona's vague answer.
"Let the future be for now, Miss Astrologist!" the smiling girl then stood up, a typical Mondstadt dress on her figure instead of Fischl's spare. Huh, so she's got Mora. "For now, let's worry about the present!"
Mona blinked at the girl's words before her eyes landed on the pink scar on the girl's arm. With a tilt of her head, the ditz blinked and turned to look at where she's looking, eyes landing on her own arm. "Oh!" the girl then laughed as she flexed the injured arm. "An old friend got too rough in playtime! Nothing wild!"
A deadpan stare was all she gave the girl who kept a ditzy smile on her face.
She's a damn good actress, that's for sure.
"a deliberate wound from and Electro Vision holder is 'playing rough'?"
"he's more like a rabid dog with Electro Vision to be honest." Lili shrugged, nonchalant at the wound that was slowly but surely turning lighter and lighter. "it's not the worst wound I have."
The Astrologist blinked, the puzzle in her mind suddenly piecing together, forming together.
Of course Lili isn't a mortal! She's been living in an island with her shoddy fishing skills!
The triumphant cheers in Mona's mind were interrupted by another growl of her stomach, making her cheeks turn red in embarrassment. "That wasn't me." She weakly protested, making the ditz smile.
Oh Archons, that smile sure is blood boiling.
"Y'know," the girl starts, making Mona lightly glare at her. "My pocket's feeling kinda heavy right now," she shook her pockets, the mora inside jingling, hypnotizing Mona. "Help me lighten it?"
"I am not a beggar."
Lili laughed, turning Mona's face redder. "I know, I was thinking of eating somewhere? I heard Cat's Tail got some tasty drinks, whaddya say?"
Mona could only nod. After all, who says no to free food?
-0-
The effort Aether and Paimon spent asking and running around to find Lili was all for naught. They found her sitting on the terrace of Cat's Tail with Mona and surprisingly, Fischl, the three of them eating and chatting.
"Lili! There you are!" Paimon shouts as she floated upwards, leaving Aether to enter the cat themed tavern and climbing the stairs to join the girls.
"Hello you two!" Lili beams at them, still as ditzy as ever. "I was about to ask Mona and Princess Fischl to help me look for you two!"
"I told you, they're going to find their here, as the stars have said." Mona comments as she primly eats her food.
"No matter! You're both here now! Sit, sit!" Lili waved her hand, beckoning Aether closer. "Pull a chair for yourself while we scoot over! Ah! And check the menu, I'll pay!"
"Hmph! Paimon will order everything on the menu as payback for worrying us!" Paimon proclaims with a huff, not even taking a glance on the menu, Lili laughing as if the little tour guide said a funny joke.
"that's fine, that's fine!" Lili then pulled out a pouch and let it fall on the table, shaking it from the weight as Mora fell out of it "help me lighten this, okay?"
The little tour guide gulps at the amount of Mora as the Astrologist, the Princess, and the Outlander's mouths watered at the sight of the shiny currency spilling out of the pouch.
"Paimon will accept this challenge! Aether! Help Paimon order everything on the menu! You too! Fischl! Mona!"
Replies:
Redaer Copious: The Goth Grand Hotel is crawling with Fatui and even if a paper pusher Fatui did notice the sound of her flesh getting cooked, they wouldn't dare butt into their boss, the notoriously hotheaded one too, business unless they wanna get sacked or worse, die. as for Mondstadt people, it was late at night and as far as they're concerned, she's just another drunk, proclaiming her love for someone. I'm sure the city had their fair share of drunks screaming random nonsense in the middle of the night. Also, freedom.